Laura stamped her foot. “Damn you, Beebo!” she said. “Don’t talk to me as if I were an irresponsible child!” Beebo laughed, rolling over and nearly crushing Nix, who reacted by licking her frantically and wagging his tail. Beebo squashed him in a hug, still laughing. Laura turned on her heel to leave the room, looking back quickly to grab her slip, and went into the bedroom, slamming the door. Within seconds it flew open again and Beebo leaned against the jamb, smiling at her. She sauntered into the room. “Now, don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy yourself last night, Little Bo-peep,” she said. Laura ignored her, moving speedily, suddenly embarrassed to be naked. In the heat of passion it was glorious, but in the morning, in the gray light, in the chill and ache of waking up, she hated it. Her own bare flesh seemed out of place. Not so with Beebo, who sprawled on the bed on top of the underwear Laura wanted to put on. “Did you?” said Beebo. “Enjoy yourself?” “Get up, Beebo, I want to get dressed.” “After all, it was your idea, baby.” “Don’t throw _that_ in my face!” she exclaimed angrily, ashamed to remember it. “Why not? It’s true. Besides I’m not throwing it in your face, I’m just saying it.” Laura turned away from her, unbearably conscious of her own slim behind, her dimpled rump, and her long limbs. She yearned to be shrouded in burlap. “Beebo, I—I couldn’t help myself last night.” She worked to control her voice, to be civilized about it. “I needed—I mean—it had been so long.” “Since Beth?” Laura fought down a sudden impulse to strangle her. “I was a fool,” she said, and her voice trembled. “A fool with my roommate and now with you. It got so I couldn’t stand it at home. It got intolerable.” “So you came down here. And I was a nice convenient safety-valve.” “I didn’t mean that!” she flared. “Doesn’t matter what you mean, baby. It’s a fact. Here you were, desperate. And here was I, ready and willing. You knew I wouldn’t turn you down.” Laura’s face began to burn. She had a wild idea that her back was blushing with her cheeks. “What would you have done if I _had_ turned you down, Laura?” Beebo spoke softly, insinuatingly, teasing Laura, enjoying herself. But Laura was too humiliated to tease back. “I don’t know,” she exclaimed miserably. “I don’t know what I _could_ have done.” And she covered her face with her hands. “I’ll tell you, then. You’d have begged me. You’d have gotten down on your knees and begged me. Sometime you will, too. Wait and see.” Laura whirled toward her, insulted. “That’s enough!” she said harshly. She pulled her underthings forcibly from under Beebo, but Beebo caught the shoulder strap of her brassiere and hung on to it with both hands, her heels braced against the floor, laughing like a beautiful savage while Laura yanked furiously at it. “You’re going to get about half,” she said. “If you’re lucky. I’ll get the other half. Half isn’t going to hold much of you up, baby.”